Joel Kinnaman Insists Jose Padilha’s RoboCop Isn’t a Remake

“RoboCop” remake star Joel Kinnaman insists director Jose Padilha’s flick isn’t a remake. Since everyone is kind of irritated that MGM is trying to milk some cash out of moviegoers by rebooting the franchise, the folks behind the movie are trying their best to distance themselves from Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 classic.

During his chat with SFX Magazine, Kinnaman explained why the “RoboCop” remake isn’t a remake. It’s good to see that the cast and crew are big fans of the original, but let’s face it — Padilha’s movie is a remake. Dress it up all you wants, fellas. At the end of the day, people are going to approach this thing as a remake. Sorry.

Here’s what “The Killing” star had to say:

When I first heard there was gonna be a RoboCop remake, I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll see that somewhere down the line. But it’s nothing I’m interested in pursuing myself.’ Then when I heard it was José Padilha that was gonna direct it, I became very interested. José has fought very hard and succeeded in making something that has a point of view, and a political and philosophical perspective.

It’s a great responsibility. Especially in a world where there’s a lot of remakes being made for cynical economic reasons. But having José as a director washed away those fears. The biggest respect you can pay to the original is to acknowledge it as a very intelligent movie, and try to make something intelligent to follow it up with, and not just replay old catchphrases. We kept one or two as a wink to the fans, but we did not try to remake the movie.

The “RoboCop” remake (Sorry, Kinnaman) also stars Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Look for the film to arrive in the US on February 12, 2014, a date that suggests even MGM has its doubts about this thing.